Introduction to Interactive Media Interactive Media Tools: Software.

Introduction to Interactive Media

Interactive Media Tools: Software


Software

• A collection of computer programs that govern the operation of a computer.– Program: list of instructions that can be carried out

by the computer.

• Three categories of software:– Operating systems– Programming languages– Applications


Operating System, Programming Language or

Application?

1. Word

2. Photoshop

3. Java

4. OS X

5. Visual Basic

6. Flash mx

7. Vista

8. C+

9. Linux10. Open Office11. HTML12. Javascript13. Illustrator14. Director15. Unix16. Assembly


Operating System Software

• Collection of programs that:– Provide a user interface– Manage computer resources– Execute application programs

• User interface: a means to communicate with the programs and hardware.– Command line interface– Graphical user interface (GUI)

Computer running DOS OS

Computer running Linux OS


What the OS Does

• Manages computer resources such as:– Processor– Memory– Peripheral devices– Networks


The OS Manages the Processor

• Manage the processor– Controls how and when programs are executed.– Control methods:

• Single user, single tasking• Single user, multi-tasking• Multi-user, multi-tasking

– If the processor is sufficiently powerful users are not aware of sharing the resources.

– (DOS OS and early Mac OS did not support multi- tasking)


The OS Manages Memory

• Manage memory– Controls how much memory is accessed and used

by application programs.

• Virtual memory: operating system assigns a portion of the hard disk to simulate RAM.– Problem: access to files in virtual memory is

slowed.– Solution: install more RAM.


The OS Controls Peripherals

• Control peripherals – Built-in programs control devices such as

monitors, printers, storage drives.– Additional device drivers can be downloaded or

come with the installation CD.

• Plug and Play– Operating system senses that a new device is

plugged into the system board and immediately responds to "play" the device.


The OS manages access and security of a the computer on

the network

– Built in protocols to connect to WANs (TCP/IP)

– Built in protocols to connect to LANs (Ethernet)

– Support for WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity

– Network firewall protection


The OS contains…

• Utility programs– Tools to optimize operating system functions such

as:• CD and DVD recording• Screen savers• Speech recognition for basic commands• Text editors• Multimedia utilities

– Disk management utility• Partition and format drives.• Defragment and detect disk errors


The OS facilitates…

• File management.– Operating systems govern storage and retrieval of

files.– Basic file management (Copy, Delete, Rename,

Move)– File extensions identify a file as data or program

for the operating system.– Directories (or folders) are created, moved,

copied, deleted using file management utility.


Programming Languages



• Low-Level Languages.– Programs are written for a specific

computer system.– Machine code — binary code the

processor directly executes.– Assembly code — text abbreviations for

binary commands.• Requires a program (assembler) to convert the

abbreviations to binary code.



• High-Level Languages.– Syntax and semantics are not dependent on a

specific computer system.– More English-like commands.– Easier to debug errors.

• Two methods to convert to machine code:– Interpreter converts and executes one line of code

at a time. – Compiler converts entire program to an executable

file.


Programming Trends

• Object-Oriented languages.– Self contained programmed objects are reused in

an application.– Modular approach reduces time to recode similar

object routines.

• Visual programming.– Use graphical interface to expedite programming

process.– Enable Rapid Application Development.


Application Software

Software that Performs a Specific Task


Application Software

• Two main categories for multimedia development.

– Media-specific applications.• Create and edit specific media content.

– Authoring applications.• Tools to integrate media components and provide a user

interface.


Media Specific Applications

• Text media applications include:– Word processors– Text editors – Portable document generators

• Graphics media applications include:– Paint programs– Draw programs– 3-D imaging applications


Authoring Software

• Programs designed to facilitate the creation of multimedia products.– Assemble media elements– Synchronize content– Design user interface– Provide user interactivity

• Authoring metaphors are:– Card based– Timeline– Icon

Introduction to Interactive Media Interactive Media Tools: Software.

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